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Questions mount in Congress over Iran war’s costs, risks and exit plan

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Tensions flared on Capitol Hill as lawmakers pressed the Trump administration for answers about the strategy, cost and endgame of the expanding war with Iran.

Senior officials returned to Congress on Tuesday for a second day of closed-door briefings as both chambers weigh votes on a war powers resolution that would restrict Donald Trump’s authority to continue the joint U.S.-Israel military campaign without explicit approval from lawmakers.

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“The president determined we were not going to get hit first. It’s that simple,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a tense exchange with reporters.

Rubio rejected suggestions that Trump acted because Israel was poised to strike first, instead arguing the president seized a “unique opportunity” to degrade Iran’s missile and nuclear capabilities. “There is no way in the world that this terroristic regime was going to get nuclear weapons, not under Donald Trump’s watch,” he said.

Lawmakers voice concern over ‘mission creep’

The sudden shift to a wartime footing has disrupted the congressional agenda and intensified debate over potential “mission creep,” particularly following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. At least six U.S. service members have died so far in retaliatory attacks.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he was concerned about the risk of a prolonged conflict. Other Democrats questioned whether the administration has clearly defined objectives or an exit strategy.

Sen. Angus King of Maine called it “very disturbing” if the United States entered war at the urging of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Sen. Elizabeth Warren asked how the operation aligned with Trump’s “America First” pledge to avoid extended foreign entanglements.

Defense official Elbridge Colby told senators the campaign is designed to eliminate Iranian missile threats and prevent nuclear weapons development, insisting it is “not nation-building” and “not going to be endless.”

Divided reactions on Capitol Hill

Republican lawmakers largely rallied behind the president. Sen. Markwayne Mullin said Trump “did the world a favor,” while Sen. Lindsey Graham argued the focus should remain on eliminating threats, regardless of who governs Iran next.

Others urged caution. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he feared the conflict could lead to U.S. “boots on the ground,” a scenario Trump has not explicitly ruled out.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the future of Iran’s leadership should be determined by its people, not Washington.

War powers vote looms

Both the House and Senate are preparing to consider war powers resolutions aimed at limiting the president’s authority to wage war without congressional approval. Under the Constitution, Congress holds the power to declare war, though presidents have frequently initiated military action without formal declarations.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said there would be strong support among Democrats for reasserting congressional authority. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson warned it would be “frightening” to constrain the commander-in-chief while U.S. forces are already engaged.

With midterm elections approaching and supplemental funding requests expected, lawmakers now face one of the most consequential votes of their terms — determining not only the scope of the conflict but Congress’s role in shaping it.

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  Adapted by ASEAN Now · Source · 03.03 2026


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  • Popular Post

Exit plan? What exit plan?

Wars will continue as long as Trump is in power.

What Epstein files?

  • Popular Post

Unfortunately, America loves wars because they are good for business. One male child from weapons manufacturers heads should be forced to enlist. The same for the children of politicians.

Michael Moore showed the hypocrisy of politicians in Fahrenheit 9/11.

  • Popular Post

There is no access strategy because there was never any plan it's just Trump and Tiny Petie having fun with their war toys, trying to prove that they're not impotent, and trying to prove that they are real men.

This is Israel's war, Donnie just simply went along with a plan and very little thought or planning was involved in this operation. Trump is the War President and wars will continue as long as this corrupt and immoral man is allowed to stay in office.

As to the reasons why Congress might be concerned with the costs?

US forces spent an estimated $779 million, or about 0.1% of the entire 2026 US defense budget, during the opening 24 hours of its offensive against Iran, according to estimates and data compiled by Anadolu, Anadolu reports.

The US’ CENTCOM confirmed that the massive deployment included B-2 stealth bombers, F-22, F-35, and F-16 fighter jets, A-10 attack aircraft, and EA-18G electronic warfare planes. The operation also utilized MQ-9 Reaper drones, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, guided-missile destroyers, and Patriot and THAAD missile defense systems.

Four B-2 stealth bombers, flying non-stop from Whiteman Air Force Base in the US state of Missouri, struck targets using 2,000-pound (907-kilogram) Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), according to CENTCOM. Known for high maintenance requirements and a 40,000-lb (18,143-kg) payload capacity, the B-2 operations alone accounted for an estimated $30.2 million, based on flight hours, maintenance costs, and munition requisitions data from the US Defense Department’s 2025 and 2026 budget requests.

CENTCOM’s buildup of various fighter jets of F-18s, F-16s, F-22s, and F35s contributed to the initial strikes, according to a post by CENTCOM on US social media company X. Based on flight hours, maintenance costs, and munition requisitions data from the 2025 and 2026 US department budget requests, these sorties cost an estimated $271.34 million.

Specialized aircraft, including the EA-18G Growler, A-10C Thunderbolt, and the MQ-9 Reaper, played a critical role alongside the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS). When factoring in P-8 Maritime Patrol aircraft, RC-135 reconnaissance planes, and aerial refueling tankers, as well as land-based HIMARS batteries, the cost for the combined air and ground assets, including the fighter jets, reached approximately $423.57 million.

The two US carrier groups in the region, the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford, also took part in the attack. The cost of operating the aircraft carriers along with their contingent of destroyers and littoral combat ships is estimated to come to $15 million a day.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260302-us-offensive-on-iran-burned-through-an-estimated-779m-on-first-day/

And even though this absolute goon promised the lower prices for the average American, all he's doing is raising them. Big Pharma prices have not come down 1%, which was a huge campaign promise, grocery prices have gone up, most products have gone up due to his ridiculous tariffs, which is now backing down on, and now with this war campaign oil and gas prices are skyrocketing. Let's just call him the rightfully earned name of Inflated Donnie.

Global gas prices have soared this week amid fears of a lengthy disruption to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz — a key shipping route running between Oman and Iran that handles about one-fifth of global LNG trade — as the Iran conflict escalates.

Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) futures, Europe’s benchmark gas contract, rose 35% on Tuesday to more than 60 euros ($69.64) per megawatt-hour. On the week, prices are around 76% higher.

The Northeast Asia LNG benchmark, the Japan-Korea-Marker (JKM), which captures deliveries to Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan, reached a one-year high, and was last seen around 43 euros per megawatt-hour. U.K. natural gas was also sharply higher.

Qatar, one of the world’s largest LNG producers, halted production on Monday following Iranian drone strikes at Ras Laffan Industrial City and Mesaieed Industrial City. Goldman Sachs estimated the pause will reduce near-term global LNG supply by about 19%.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/03/middle-east-war-gas-energy-lng-drone-qatar-strait-hormuz-price-shock.html?__source=androidappshare

  • Popular Post

The Iranian regime is utterly disgusting, and the world would be a much safer place without it, however I doubt it can be bombed out of existence.

  • Popular Post
1 hour ago, JimHuaHin said:

Exit plan? What exit plan?

Wars will continue as long as Trump is in power.

What Epstein files?

There is no exit strategy that would be assuming trump thinks things through and is mindful of consequences.I think we all know the answer to that.In my view it’s about propping up his horrible approval ratings and a distraction from his close intimate decades long relationship with the most prolific pedo in American history.

  • Popular Post
22 minutes ago, Tug said:

There is no exit strategy that would be assuming trump thinks things through and is mindful of consequences.I think we all know the answer to that.In my view it’s about propping up his horrible approval ratings and a distraction from his close intimate decades long relationship with the most prolific pedo in American history.

No strategy. no plan and certainly no exit scenario. He made things up day by day. Narratives are changed day by day. He is simply reacting to events as it happened. Now that the oil price spike is coming home to roast, his hare-brain plan is for the US Government to provide insurance to ships and be escorted by US battle ships. Battles ships are now anchored out of Iran's missile range and he is risking the battles ships to striking distance of Iran's missiles and land batteries. He is a desperate man, out of of freaking mind and cornered.

1 hour ago, Eric Loh said:

US battle ships. Battles ships are now anchored out of Iran's missile range and he is risking the battles ships to striking distance of Iran's missiles and land batteries.

There are no "battleships" in active duty anywhere in the world. The last one (USS Missouri) was decommissioned in 1992.

I assume that you just mean escorting warships!

  • Popular Post
3 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

There are no "battleships" in active duty anywhere in the world. The last one (USS Missouri) was decommissioned in 1992.

I assume that you just mean escorting warships!

Sorry my bad. Meant to say warships which include carriers, destroyers and combat ships. Thanks.

4 hours ago, JimHuaHin said:

Exit plan? What exit plan?

Wars will continue as long as Trump is in power.

What Epstein files?

We'll now only when Trump gets bored about this war! 😀

  • Popular Post

a well known fiscal analyst/economist predicts an estimated cost for the war the peace maker just started, he blamed past loss of 8 Trillion USD for others wars but his war will cost almost 30 times more

“We’ve spent $8 trillion in the Middle East, and we’re not fixing our roads in this country?” Trump said in the clip. “How stupid — how stupid is that? And we’re not fixing our highways, our tunnels, our bridges, our hospitals, even, our schools, even? It’s crazy.”

Kent Smetters, a preeminent fiscal analyst and director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model, told Fortune that the total economic cost of Trump’s strikes could be as high as $210 billion.

https://au.yahoo.com/news/president-trump-bernie-sanders-slams-172736817.html

  • Popular Post

There is a joint strategy between Trump & Netanyahu which is solely intended to keep both them out of prison. Netanyahus position has been endlessly documented, Trumps plan is to announce a national emergency and cancel the mid-terms as the consequence of that would have been impeachment potentially with Republicans in the minority in both houses. Conspiracy theory? Absolutely! Let’s wait and see.

3 minutes ago, retayl said:

There is a joint strategy between Trump & Netanyahu which is solely intended to keep both them out of prison. Netanyahus position has been endlessly documented, Trumps plan is to announce a national emergency and cancel the mid-terms as the consequence of that would have been impeachment potentially with Republicans in the minority in both houses. Conspiracy theory? Absolutely! Let’s wait and see.

I forecast that 11 months ago, and have a wager on it too.

4 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

I forecast that 11 months ago, and have a wager on it too.

What odds did you get? 🥳🥂

Just now, retayl said:

What odds did you get? 🥳🥂

Even, but very willing takers, not so willing now.

I have another wager that Trump will not be the sitting president on 1/1/27.

On the day of 2024 election I bet £1k at odds of 4/5 that the orange moron would win.

I put my £800 winnings on Diaper Donny not seeing out his 4 years at odds of 5/2.

Looking good.

23 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

Here’s another forecast.

Iran will use chemical weapons or a dirty bomb.

Forecast? Here's one: Multiple terror attacks within the US carried out by Iranian operatives brought in during the Biden open borders years. Democrats will then be obliterated in elections because they refused to fund Homeland Security and therefore are doubly responsible for terrorism inside the US.

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